Tag Archives: iPod

Griffin just unveiled its latest accessories, like the PowerDock 5, at CES in Las Vegas

We're smack in the middle of the Consumer Electronics Show, which is a pretty big deal for us at Pure Mobile. That's because the annual CES event is basically the biggest event around for anyone interested in the newest and best in mobile technologies, like the latest in phones and accessories.

It's where most of the major names in mobile, like Samsung, Nokia and HTC choose to reveal new smartphones and other gadgets, and where it's we get the scoop on the best new accessories.

This year's CES is still going on in in Las Vegas, and already we've seen some cool stuff for from one of our favorite accessories makers, Griffin. The company's already well known for its iPhone, iPad and iPod accessories, like tough cases and the like. And CES 2013 has seen the launch of even more Apple accessories from the company.

Among Griffin's newest offerings is the PowerDock 5, a USB docking station for iPhone, iPad and iPod that works on what Engadget calls a "toast-rack" design and can charge multiple devices at once with a capacity of up to 5 iPads at once. Pretty cool for households with more than a couple of people, or for really geared up techies.

But Griffin has as just as big of a reputation for audio, and they're living up to it this year with the launch of new audio accessories like an updated Lightning version of their iPad StudioConnect, as well as a new Mic Stand Mount "that works like a traditional microphone performance stand," says 9to5Mac, but for iPad. Oh yeah, and they've also introduced a new studio-quality XLR to 3.5mm recording mic for iPhone and iPad, but it won't be available til June

We've got sales on everything from major gifts like portable speakers and other home stations for iphone, to stocking stuffers like smartphone and tablet cases, headphones, and capsule speakers, with discounts of up to 70% off.

With EQ setting, Beats headphones and the iPhone could be the perfect match. Image courtesy of MJ Rodriguez Photography.

So, despite their massive popularity – which even extends to celebrities like Lebron James, Lil Wayne, Gwen Stefani, and other a-listers – the Beats by Dre line of headphones has got a sort of questionable rep since its release.

The collection of high-end headphones has been criticized as having a sound that's too bass-y and artificial to warrant their equally high-end price tag.

Moreover, as Mashable notes, the headphones – which are compatible with Apple devices like iPhone, iPad and iPod – are probably better suited to a recording studio, where you get a range of sound equalizing options, than to a phone or tablet.

Still, there are some who'd prefer a more balanced sound from the ragingly popular headphones, even if they're listening to tunes on their mobile device. And, according to Mashable, there is a "secret iPhone setting that makes Beats headphones sound better."

We're not really sure how "secret" this is, but here's how to equalize your sound for your own tastes. By default, your iPhone has the equalizer (EQ) turned off. To access it, turn it on, and choose from two dozen settings, go to:

Settings >> Music >> EQ.

Go to Settings, then Music, then EQ. Play around til you're happy.

From there, you can select Bass Reducer, to reduce the boominess of bass when listening to with your Beats. If you actually love bass and want even more of it, there are settings like Late Night and Bass Booster too, as well as settings for particular music genres, from classical to jazz, hip hop, and electronica.

Just play around until you're satisfied. It's certainly no recording studio with its plethora of controls, settings and levels. We are talking about a phone after all. But it's certainly closer to the setup that Beats were probably intended for than your basic, un-levelled listening device.

Traveling by car has been an American institution practically forever, a rite of passage that every young person has to go through. Good tunes, a road map, and all the time in the world – that much hasn't changed.

But what has changed is that nowadays, we've got our music, maps and more all in the same place. Let's face it, smartphones are now a part of that tradition of hitting the open road and looking for adventure.

And Pure Mobile is rounding up the must-have mobile accessories that'll make your road trip that much easier – nevermind safer – with some of our favorite essentials for long car rides.

1: Car Chargers

Moshi Revolt Car Charger for iPhone, iPad and iPod

No matter what, every road tripper with a smartphone needs a car charger. Even if you're resting between stops, we wouldn't count on waiting for the hotel or motel to charge your device.

In fact, once you get to a rest stop, a dead phone battery isn't such a big deal anyway. It's losing power when you're on the road that's an issue, especially if you get lost.

And if you're traveling with buddies, a universal phone charger, like Dexim's Twin USB Car Charger, will let you charge any kind of phone, from BlackBerry to Android to iPhone. It's even got two ports, so you can charge two devices at the same time.

2. Car Holder/Mount

Griffin In-Car Window Mount for Smartphone or MP3 Player

Back in the day, your dad had your mom to distractingly flap a road map in his face. Nowadays, you have a passenger who waves around their smartphone with a maps app on, or you fumble between the wheel and your own device.

On a long trip, this kind of amateur setup just doesn't cut it, and a simple car window mount or smartphone holder will easily fix all that.

Lots of holders, like Griffin's In-car Window Mount, will work with almost every phone model and even with MP3 players. Do your so-pilot – and yourself – a favor and get one.

3. Bluetooth Car Kit

One quick way to ruin a road trip? Get pulled over for using your phone while driving.

Seriously, if you haven't got a BlueTooth car kit by now, don't you think it's about time? Plantronics and Novero both offer convenient models that'll let you navigate, talk, and listen to music hands-free.

Considering that half the fun of going somewhere by car is the time you spend getting there, you don't really want to waste the trip fumbling with your phone when you could be rolling down the windows and taking in the sights.

We're making Fridays even more fun at the Pure Mobile blog, with a new weekly feature we're calling 'Thank Gadget It's Friday,' or TGIF for short.

What better way to wrap up the week than with our favorite gadgets? And in this feature, we'll be bringing you our top picks in mobile accessories, from the coolest smartphone cases to the best phone docks and speakers.

Definitely a toy for grown ups, the Dexim RC Truck uses Apple devices, like iPhone, iPad and iPod in lieu of a traditional controller. All you need is the free app that's provided when you purchase the truck.

But that's not the only difference between this suped-up mobile accessory and a regular remote controlled car. Dexim's monster truck can be controlled by either traditional touch sensor or "gravity sensor," which lets you control the vehicle by tilting your device in different ways.

The truck also has multiplayer mode for racing with friends, and comes with three preset stations that let you "automatically ZigZag, Spin, or Dance your vehicle to music."

As far as mobile accessories go, the Dexim RC Truck may not top the list of most needed, but it's certainly among the most exciting, and would certainly make a great gift for the techie in your life. Though we can think of more than a few people who'd simply want one for themselves.

Watches are back with a whole new purpose, and their name is iPod Nano – the most innovative development in the iPod world since, well, the iPod. If you dare to be either a geek or a trend-setter (or could absolutely care less what your best buddy or your mother thinks), don’t turn your nose up at the iPod Nano watch.

The iPod Nano watch may look like a watch, but unless you program it to, it doesn’t act like one. It’s an innovative use of iPod technology that puts up to 16GB of music storage and an FM radio on your wrist. It lets you change music tracks on your wrist rather than holding your phone,

The watch comes in a couple of different designs – one with clips on the band that you use to snap your Nano in place, and another with pins for a more secure fit (some assembly required.)

That’s the good news about the Nano Watch design. Here comes the criticism:
• The Nano charges via a long open 30-pin port that's exposed on the side. The headphone jack is right next to it. That's a lot of open ports on a wearable device.
• The Nano isn’t water resistant, so you could even damage it just by washing your hands.
• There’s no Bluetooth, so you’ll have a headphone wire running to your wrist (however, it is better than a wire running to your pocket or your backpack.)
• The Nano's clipped on solidly, and can't be removed without removing the watch.

The iPod Nano Watch is not ugly, but it is big. It’s convenient because you’ve got your music collection on your wrist. It’s cool because watches are a novelty. Make one that’s submersible (or at least undamaged by hand-washing) and connects to Bluetooth, and even your mother will want one.

The Japanese blog Macotakara reports that the new iPod Touch will sport a 4-inch screen, the same dimensions we expect for the display on the iPhone 5 and a nice expansion to the current 3.5-inch screen. And that isn't the only thing the Touch will have in common with its Apple siblings.

The new device will come equipped with the same A5 processor that iPhone 4S uses, and its case will have the same aluminum back that the iPad has and come in both a black and a white version.

Here is a feature that has everyone stumped. Macotakara also reports that the iPod Touch case has a hole in the lower end of the rear shell. Anyone want to guess what it's for?

Right now, the music industry probably wants to give a great big hug to the digital music streaming company Spotify. After less than one year in business, Spotify is reported to be the No.2 source of revenue for the chronically troubled major music labels.

Business Insider reports that an anonymous source told them that Spotify has shot ahead of all its competition, well all of them except Apple and their iTunes store.

There are an estimated 23 million users of Spotify’s streaming music service. If you’re willing to put up with advertising breaks, the basic Spotify app is free. Two paid subscription levels offer ad-free music streaming.

Spotify just brought its free mobile radio to its iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app. Spotify’s radio features were previously only available to desktop users. It lets you can create artist-, song- or playlist-based streaming radio stations similar to those offered by Pandora. Speaking of Pandora, that company seems to be having trouble keeping up. The company’s stock is showing it.

All music stored in your Cloud Drive can now be played on both your iPhone and iPod with a dedicated app just released by Amazon. The free app allows users of iOS devices to stream or download music stored online in an Amazon Cloud account.

Cloud Player lets you manage and create playlists, and play music already stored on your mobile devices. This initial version allows you to transfer your iTunes purchases. It won’t let you buy new tunes through the app just yet.

Amazon customers get 5GB of free cloud storage and can buy additional space, including 20GB for $20/year or 50GB for $50/year. Users who buy a storage plan receive unlimited space for MP3 and AAC (.m4a) music files at no additional cost. According to Amazon, this offer is scheduled to end soon.

Since the release of the first iPhone in 2007 I have been jail breaking the iphone. I have been caught up in conversation many times about the ability of the iPhone. When I referred to the iPhone it's often hard for me to perceive it without being able to include the many Cydia applications I use with the wonderful IOS operating system.

Many people have often looked at me as if they were very confused, and say. What is jailbreaking? This is the single most question I am asked when discussing the iPhone. I have thought long and hard on the simplest way to explain jailbreaking to a person who does not understand what it is at all about. To this nd, I have crafted the following jailbreaking overview So I have tried to think about this as elementary as possible to facilitate reader understanding.

Jailbreaking allows the iPhone or other idevices such as the iPad and iPod user more freedom. When Apple developed the iPhone in their mega-billion-dollar factories, the developers, at their own discretion determined what we could and could not do with our iphones. That is a decision , I do not agree with that in any terms. Like many people I paid for this product with my personal money and believe that I should be able to decide on changing its appearance or the sounds it makes when it rebooting. Yet in 2008 or 2009 jailbreaking your iPhone was declared illegal.

Jailbreaking allows the user to download third-party applications from a store called Cydia. In this store many developers have been denied the chance to sell their application in the ” Apple store". Many of the applications in the Cydia store are better applications than many I have downloaded from the Apple store. That being said these applications are hosted on repositories which are sources in the Cydia store. These applications have gone through a screening process as the Cydia operators are stand up characters and would not ruin their reputation by enabling applications that are unethical or damaging to your device.

I have often had many people argue that they were afraid to download the applications from Cydia because they weren't signed from Apple. There is a huge open source environment on the web... wherein different developers collaborate together to create new or enhance existing application with more powerful features. As such, just because an application does not originate from Apple it does not mean it hasn't been fully screened or the code has not gone through an extensive testing process to filter or eliminate viruses.

Many of the applications from Cydia are just small tweaks. Such as, being able to swipe the status bar to open what's called SB settings. Inside Sbsettings you can control Bluetooth, reboot, and much more. This is just an example of some of the applications that are available in Cydia. Also in Cydia you can download themes for your idevices. What I mean by theme is you can change the physical appearance of the iPhone. Whether it’s the size of the icons or the color of the status bar and much more. Needless to say, the question, What is Jailbreaking? could revoke a 500 page book. I'm trying to do it in just a few paragraphs. So to putt short and sweet. Jailbreaking allows the user to download third-party applications and themes. This will allow the user to use their phone however they wish. If you want to open the settings menu by swiping the status bar, that can be accomplished. There are many great applications and tweaks inside Cydia. Since this article is about what is jailbreaking? I am going to include a few must have applications from Cydia.

Top Must Have Cydia Applications :

· SBswitcher a tweak for iOS which will basically add a new pane over the multi-tasking pane, which will allow you to bookmark nine of your most-used apps. Now this new pane will allow a very quick access to all your favourite apps. This app also gives you an easy access to a few of your System Settings. Bundled with its core feature, this app is definitely worth $0.99. Props to the developer Tolani. He has added in the release notes that this tweak is not yet available for iPad but should be soon.

· Activator-Free- add gestures to open application.

· Infiniboard-$1.99Vertically scroll the springboard. Addis many applications as you wish to each page. No limits

· Packagebackup-$7.99 Simple way to save your Cydia application in one centralized location. Should you need to do are store simply do so with a couple clicks.

· iFile $4-Great way to SSH into the device without connecting to a computer. Do things such as change icons to much more advance task.

· Springtomize$2.99- This application has over 50 tweaks inside it. You can change the color of status bar, size of icons, change carrier, and more.

· Winterboard- FREE This is how you add themes to the device for changing its physical appearance. You can also add themes to the lock screen, change reboot sounds. This application is free however many of the themes are paid.